1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system and a method for managing media storage and, in particular embodiments, to a system and method for managing storage of content items, such as, for example, audio content, by employing a plurality of storage volumes, each of which may be checked out, with or without archived content items copied onto the storage volume, and each of which may be checked in, at which time altered content items and new content items may be archived.
2. Related Art
Audio and visual content items may be stored in a variety of physical media including film, optical (CDs and DVDs), and magnetic. As used herein, the expression “content items” broadly and generally refers to information stored on a physical media. Examples of content items may include audio data, such as music, dialog, movie soundtracks, sound effects, or other like audio data. Examples of content items also may include visual data, such as video, including, but not limited to, movies, television programs, animation, home video, and the like. Examples of visual data may also include still images, such as pictures, writings, charts, or other like images. Other like content items, including combinations of content items (e.g. audio and video data associated with a movie) may also be included. There are a variety of problems associated with conventional means for storing content items, including the possibility of (1) lost or misplaced content items; (2) deterioration of content items; (3) difficulty in locating and/or retrieving content items; and (4) information loss during production.
Content items may be lost or misplaced. Content items stored on a physical media may be difficult to locate after some time has passed. For example, in the case of movie audio, large amounts of audio data may be generated that ultimately is not mixed into a movie soundtrack. The audio data may be stored on magnetic tape, film, or computer disks. These physical media may be labeled and stored. However, the physical media may also be misplaced, mislabeled, or otherwise difficult to locate after some time has passed.
Content items stored on a physical media also may be subject to deterioration over time. This may be particularly problematic for content items stored in an analog format. For example, content items stored on magnetic tape or on film may be subject to deterioration. As such, someone desiring, for example, audio tracks from a movie that was created several years ago may discover that the sound quality of the magnetic recordings is no longer satisfactory. In addition, the quality of an analog recording may degrade over time as copies are made of the recording, and as copies are made of copies of the recording.
In addition, there may be difficulty in locating and accessing desired content items. For example, even if audio and/or video content items are stored on a physical media and archived, it may be difficult to locate or access the specific content items desired. Content items may be created and archived by multiple people, groups, or companies. As such, it may be difficult to identify where the desired content item is archived or stored. Also, once a physical media containing the desired content item is located, it may still need to be sent or delivered to an individual who desires access to the content item. Sending or delivering a physical media may be time intensive and inefficient.
Finally, content items may not be adequately archived or stored during the production of the content items. For example, in the case of movie audio, there may be multiple phases or stages of production of the audio that are never stored or archived. Actors may record their lines multiple times and on different tracks. These types of content items may be recorded over or discarded once the movie has been completed. Similarly, sound effects and background music may be added to a movie soundtrack in multiple phases. These content items may never be archived during production of the soundtrack, which may render the content unavailable in the future. Thus, many content items may never be adequately archived. Also, much information may be lost when it is not recorded during production. After a movie has been completed, for example, it may be difficult to discern who is speaking in a particular scene, how a particular sound effect was created, or other like information that may be readily available during the production of the movie audio data.